Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino is targeting silverware this season despite admitting the early stages of his Stamford Bridge tenure have been worse than even he imagined.
The Blues have won just one of their opening six Premier League games – their worst start to a season in 45 years – and sit 14th in the table.
A summer overhaul under free-spending owner Todd Boehly has failed to reap benefits and Pochettino conceded it has been a struggle.
He said: “We always knew that a new or different project is difficult. This period in the last weeks is maybe a worse scenario than we anticipated.
“It looks like all is against us because when you see the performance of the team, I think they deserve more points.
“All teams go through different periods, maybe for us [it] happens early, [but] I think we have the capacity to turn this in a positive way.”
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Former Tottenham boss Pochettino is hoping some respite will come in the form of the EFL Cup, although a home clash with in-form Brighton on Wednesday night is another stiff challenge.
He added: “It is one of our objectives this season; we need to think this is one opportunity to win a trophy.”
When asked about the mood in the dressing room after defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, Pochettino said: “The feelings after the defeat on Sunday are not the best, but it is about moving on to get the players confident.
“It is a different competition, and we need to change our mood. Yesterday and today, we were talking a lot – trying to breathe more confidence into the team – and I think we are going to be ready.”
